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My Taste in Music is Way Better Than Your Taste in Music ________ [Main] [Reviews] [Features] [Albums] [Wanted] [Top 50] [Guestbook] tommoatuccdotasndotau________ |
The Mix Tape of Doom! THE RULES (1) Under 90 mins for 1 tape. (2) No repeated artists. (3) No repeated genres. (4) No songs from my top 50 allowed. Now that the rules are sorted out, here's what I chose: Rock Cornelius - "Count Five or Six" (3:01) Taken from Fantasma. One of the most rocking songs ever. Based on the ever so simple premise of two voices counting from one up to six over & over, this actually manages to not be incredibly annoying. The way-over-the-top guitar riffs are an absolute joy and the whole thing comes off as being addictive as hell. Interestingly enough, also one of the best songs to drive to, just keep an eye on the speedometer. Pop Neutral Milk Hotel - "King of Carrot Flowers, Part 1" (2:00) Taken from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea It's pop and it's bouncy, but it's also quite deceptive. The catchy opening riff and upbeat vocals disguise the song's true subject matter - domestic violence and familial disfunction. It contains some of Jeff Mangums most razor sharp lyrics from Aeroplane, including the devestating "Dad would dream of all the different ways to die / each one a little more than he could dare to try." The uplifting vocal on that line's final word gives the entire song a feeling of misplaced joy, which can easily catch the listener unprepared. A fantastic opener to an incredible album. (Update 7/1/03: Note that this song is now in my top 50, along with parts 2 & 3. The song's just too damn good. Can't be bothered changing the feature though) Hard Rock Queens of the Stone Age - "The Sky is Falling" (6:15) Taken from Songs for the Deaf. Take a series of massive, ambitious hard rock tracks, produce them down to the most minute details and then cram it all through a crappy AM speaker. That's Queens of the Stone Age's Songs For the Deaf, their incredibly challenging 3rd album. This is one of the more accessible tracks, but it's pounding guitar & drums give way to a sublime combination of floating vocals and staggering guitars for a truly memorable chorus. Ambient Electronica Boards of Canada - "Kid for Today" (6:23) Taken from In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country EP One could describe this song as floating in a giant cosmic washing machine. The song just seems to swirl. I'm not sure how, but it just does. A softly developing beat, in BOC's signiature hip hop style, is the only accompaniament to one of the groups most gorgeous soundscapes. Close you eyes, put on the headphones and just float away. It's an incredible experience. Grunge Nirvana - "Lithium" (4:17) Taken from Nevermind For my money, this is just about as good as grunge gets. The quiet lead ups. The explosive cathardic pay offs. The lyrics which you can never quite understand. Best of all, the "yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus, so commonly used in Beatles-era pop, is used here with so much sarcasm that you can't help jumping around and singing along to it. It may be pop underneath the surface, but being really, really angsty never felt so good. Drum n Bass Plug - "The Life of the Mind" (8:10) Taken from Drum 'N' Bass for Papa One of the most strikingly original drum and bass tracks ever recorded, this still manages to be completely accesssible. The song has three basic parts, opening with a surging build up of kicks and cymbals. The second part is where the samples kick in, in this case of John Goodman's gleefully dememted rampage from the film Barton Fink. Hearing his maniacal ramblings gradually build tensions and then, with a gunshot (literally), the song launches straight into part three, an addictive, 100mph closing. This final part is drawn out over about 2-3 minutes, before the song finally winds to a conclusion. Perfectly structured drum and bass. Rap Deltron 3030 - "3030" (7:29) Taken from Deltron 3030 Quite possibly the most brilliant lyrics I've ever heard. They can be found on Deltron 3030's self titled debut. This song is perhaps the best display of just why Del Tha Funkee Homosapien deserves to be one of the most highly acclaimed lyricists in rap, and it's a crime that he isn't. He winds lyrics around each other with no real consistent rhythm, but it all ends up fitting together perfectly. Dan the Automator has been making a name for himself as one of the industry's best producers, and this track contains some of his greatest work. All this praise, and I don't even like rap. Experimental Rock Godspeed You Black Emperor! - "Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls" (20:42) Taken from Yanqui U.X.O It's first part is typical solid Godspeed, but the remaining two thirds of the track are worth writing home about. A constantly building and extremely moody lead-up, which lasts a full 7 minutes, before exploding into one of the most incredible crescendos I've ever heard, which is drawn out over the last 3 minutes of the track. This song is truly epic. It's also an unparalleled joy hearing the last couple of minutes of that build up and watching your speakers tremble at the brewing storm. Post Rock Tortoise - "Djed" (20:53) Taken from Millions Now Living Will Never Die The quintisential post rock outfit performing a 21 minute summary of musical influences. including krautrock, ambient and guitar rock. It's really, really long and could easily have been split into about 5 separate songs, but Tortoise have managed to find some truly creative ways to blend each genre into the next, to create a single, unified vision unlike anything else. Improv Jackie-O Motherfucker - "Black Squirrels" (8:54) Taken from Wow! This song could classify as experimental rock, but it really deserves to be out on it's own. What sets it apart is it's unpredictable, meandering form (or lack thereof). As with virtually every JOMF song, this has no consistent structure, yet is still too well put together to be called a jam. It's the sound of a band completely free of contraints, and using such an opportunity to explore every facet of musical history of interest to them. At over 8 minutes, this is the sort of music which some could find intimidating and inaccessible. If you can manage it, hang in there and hear it out. You might discover something incredible. (88:05) Total. There you have it. MTiMiWBTYTiM has it's first real special feature. How very exciting! Hope you enjoyed it, and maybe found some interesting things to download :) |